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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23203009">The Buckley-Hargrove dilemma</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/withoneheadlight/pseuds/withoneheadlight'>withoneheadlight</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Drabbles &amp; headcanons collection [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stranger Things (TV 2016)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 08:06:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,139</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23203009</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/withoneheadlight/pseuds/withoneheadlight</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>And is not Steve's fault if he's getting a little upset, because this is his best friend we're talking about, his best friend and "Billy fucking Hargrove, Robin"</p><p>(or, Robin and Billy become friends and Steve has to keep a close eye on them)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley &amp; Billy Hargrove, Robin Buckley &amp; Billy Hargrove &amp; Steve Harrington</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Drabbles &amp; headcanons collection [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1665568</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>98</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Buckley-Hargrove dilemma</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ok, so, </p><p>Billy and Robin having the same clases in HS, and slowly becoming friends, and Robin going to work and starting to talk about Billy more, and more and more. Like: Billy <i>this </i>and Billy <i>that </i>and <i>blablabla </i>and <i>is not</i> Steve's fault if he's getting <i>a little</i> upset, because this is his best friend we're talking about, his best friend and <i>"Billy fucking Hargrove, Robin" .</i></p><p>Becoming. Friends.</p><p>"He's not <i>that</i> bad"</p><p>"I think that, among all people, <i>I </i>would have a pretty accurate insight of <i>exactly </i>how bad he is"</p><p>"I know. I know. But he was pretty fucked up then. He's better now"</p><p>Steve pauses what he's doing (Organizing shelves. Because that's what adult life apparently consists on. An eternal loop of organizing shelves) to look at her. To fold his arms. He's not asking when he says. </p><p>"So you two have talked about this" </p><p>"Steve-"</p><p>"<i>Oh</i>. You <i>have</i>"</p><p>And Robin never-ever hesitates about anything, but she hesitates when she says:</p><p>"He's really sorry about it"</p><p>But Steve is like wall, he's fucking non-stick to the tiniest good-like feeling about Billy Hargrove.</p><p>"Well. He has  never apologize <i>to me</i>, so he surely is not"</p><p>"Just give him the benefit of the doubt"</p><p>"Benefit of the doubt my ass”</p><p>And Robin doesn't insist. And time simply passes by. But the thing is, Steve doesn't give a shit about anything Billy Hargrove related, but he cares a whole lot about Robin, and as their new  and blossoming friendship keeps on blooming, he decides that is his sacred duty as BFF to check if everything is alright. </p><p>So, about two or three months after, he goes:</p><p>"Ok"</p><p>And Robin:</p><p>"Ok what"</p><p>"Hargrove, ok to that"</p><p>"Ok"</p><p>So they hang out, the tree of them, and is weird the first time, weirder the second, it never,  in fact, stops going downhill weird, until it reaches peak weirdness one night.</p><p>They are alone, him and Billy, because  Robin has stormed out about one hour ago, screaming something about having to meet the love of her life on her way to the door.  So there's only him and Billy, watching what looks like the most boring movie of the long list of boring movies that Robin is being forcing them to see in "<i>A last attempt of teaching something about good cinema to you two iliterate asses".</i> And they're fine, really. They're perfectly, safely bored to death in Robin's claustrophobic basement untill Billy says:</p><p>"I'm sorry. Just-- Im sorry. Just so you know"</p><p>And Steve goes zero to one hundred in various scales: shock, angriness, disbelief and pure, pure <i>whatthefuckness</i>.</p><p>"Fuck you, Hargrove" he says. Inhales "You fucked up my face. For no fucking reason"</p><p>And Steve thinks Billy is going to reply something, say something biting, because he's <i>Billy fucking Hargrove</i>, and that's just the kind of shit he does, doesn't matter how much Robin believes he's some redeemable side character or something.</p><p>But he says nothing. So Steve says nothing more. So that's it. And time pases again. And they don't talk about it anymore. Not until months and months later,  months of weird but not-so-weird-anymore hanging out together. Not until one night near the end of september, summer warmth slowly saying its goodbyes. Robin gone again with what is definetly the love of her live.</p><p>And they are lying on the hood of the camaro, their backs on the windshield, eyes on the deep, and dark, and silvery sky. Sharing a cigarette, talking about nothing and everything, wasting time because they have nothing  better to do with it.</p><p>And then, Billy says:</p><p>"There was a lot of shit going on, that night. Max had disappeared, and when I found her, things looked suspicious as shit, and you were there, and is was wired as hell, i was just about to loosing it because of my dad, and <i>you were there,</i> and I--"</p><p>And, you see, it's being more than a whole year since this Robin-and-Billy thing started, and Steve knows about Billy's father now, knows the reason why he's staying in Hawkins even though it seems like nothing is keeping him in here, even if his longing for California has spread like a sicknes. And that's why he doesn't say anything, because Billy is looking at him like he means it, like he's been wanting to say this for a long time. Because Billy knows about the monsters now, and about Steve's dad too, and maybe, against all odds, against even himself, he and Billy are--</p><p>Maybe they are--</p><p>"-And I had this gigantic crush on you. So I was really, <i>really</i> fucked up"</p><p>And now, when Steve doesn't say anyting, it's because he doesn't find the words. Because Billy has turned to look  at him now, half of his face iluminated by the secon-hand light of the headlights, half of his face hidden in the dark, like some metaphoric shit, something and his contrary. Always a fucking mistery.</p><p>The little air he has left in his lungs feels trapped.</p><p>"Don't panic Harrington, I'm not gonna kiss you or anything" says Billy in a cracked laugh, sight fixed on the night above, lips curving to let out a breath of smoke that twist and curls until disappears.</p><p>And the thing is, Steve kind of <i>knows</i> Billy now, and he's not that of  an assohle, really. He's even good sometimes, funny sometimes, cute sometimes, he is a lot of things Steve thought he wouldn't. So Steve has a tiny epiphany in that moment, when Billy says that, when he says "<i>I'm not going to kiss you</i>", when thinks, instantaneously, like the instintive reaction to a blow: <i>but i would.</i></p><p>Maybe, maybe I would.</p><p>Definetly, definetly <i>I</i> would. </p><p>He's fucking trembling when he asks:</p><p>"Then can I do it?"</p><p>Billy gets up. Sits on the hood. Looks at Steve. And he is not half in shadows anymore, he's caressed by light, the moon and the stars and the golden light of the headlights, and Steve's chest counts every second that pases while Billy keepa on looking at him <i>like that</i> , like he's the one that's being caught unguarded, like he's the one that has to remenber how to  breathe.</p><p>And. To be fair. He probably is, too.</p><p>He sounds hesitant when he says "<i>Ok</i>" and Steve lets out a soft laugh, because Billy Hargrove never-ever sounds hesitant about anything.</p><p>So Steve sits up, too.</p><p>Gets near Billy. A palm on his cheek, fingertips grazing his hair.</p><p>And he kisses him. Kisses him soft, and slow and a bit like a question. And then Billy sighs,  groans, pulls Steve closer, whispers <i>"God, Harrington" </i>against his lips, kisses him deeper, takes shelter in his arms like he's being starving.</p><p>And Steve <i>hates</i> to prove Robin right.</p><p>But this time, he's gonna have to.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You can find me on <a href="https://withoneheadlight.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a>! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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